"She goes to Washington, D.C., it's a little bit like one of those dogs, you know, 'fetch,'" Akin can be heard saying at a fundraiser in Springfield Saturday.

"She goes to Washington, D.C., and gets all of these taxes and red tape and bureaucracy and executive orders and agencies, and she brings all of this stuff and dumps it on us in Missouri."

The audio tape was leaked to PoliticMo, The Kansas City Star reported.

Akin's campaign staff didn't get back to the newspaper, which sought to ask the congressman about the taped remarks. The senator's campaign staff declined to comment, the newspaper said.

Akin, whose attempt to unseat McCaskill was dealt a blow in August when he said rape victims have a biological ability to avoid pregnancy, trails her in the latest voter survey by Public Policy Polling 46 percent to 40 percent. Libertarian Jonathan Dine had a 6 percent share.

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today’s UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.

A Spanish version of the site reaches millions of readers in Latin America and beyond.

UPI was founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press (UP). It became known as UPI when after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. Today, UPI is owned by News World Communications.